USF President Rhea Law appointed Christian Hardigree as St. Petersburg’s regional chancellor on May 18.
Courtesy of USF
By Sofía García Vargas
As the University of South Florida approaches the end of its fall 2022 semester, so does Regional Chancellor Christian Hardigree’s first chapter at the St. Petersburg campus.
Hardigree, who was appointed as regional chancellor by USF President Rhea Law on May 18, started her journey eager to dive right into life at the St. Petersburg campus.
“I’m so excited to be here… there is so much energy and it is palpable,” Hardigree said in an interview with The Crow’s Nest.
Now, four and a half months into the role, Chancellor Hardigree still feels that initial spark.
“[The fall semester] has been fabulous,” Hardigree said.
She attributes her success to President Law’s leadership and the constant collaboration with Sarasota-Manatee campus’ Regional Chancellor Karen Holbrook.
“[President Law] has assembled a fantastic team of people who are just incredibly gracious with their time and their intellectual capital,” Hardigree said. “Holbrook is a really inspiring woman with the background that she’s had in higher education, so it’s fabulous to be among all these people who are doing such amazing work.”
The semester was far from uneventful, especially with Hurricane Ian and its effects on Tampa Bay and surrounding areas. However, Hardigree saw this moment as an opportunity to rise to the occasion and set a precedent for future natural disasters.
One of those initiatives was the hurricane buddy system for the 33 students that didn’t have a place to seek shelter during Ian. Everyone in the chancellor’s cabinet was assigned three to four students with whom they had constant communication with to ensure safety.
Another highlight of her semester was the annual cardboard boat race, not only because she won the race, but because of the student turnout at the event.
“I loved the cardboard boat race. I did not know [winning] was going to be the outcome, my whole goal was just not to sink,” Hardigree said. “I was shocked at how many people were out there. I loved just being with all the students and seeing all the creativity and all the boats.”
She also recognizes the beauty in smaller moments, like interacting with USF students in the dining hall during Hurricane Nicole and participating in the Great American Teach In, where Pinellas County Schools alumni returned to classrooms in elementary, middle and high schools to engage with students.
“Every week there’s just another little gem and I think that’s what keeps [the job] exciting,” Hardigree said.
Hardigree also recognized improvements that could be made to the St. Petersburg campus, including academic planning.
According to Matthew Cimitile, assistant director of communications and marketing, this means understanding what the job and economic needs are of the community and matching the programming USF St. Petersburg is offering for students.
“I think we need to take a holistic review of that and make sure that we’re not trying to be all things to all people. We need to be targeted and strategic,” Hardigree said.
In addition to academic planning, Hardigree seeks to further develop the identity of the St. Petersburg campus. She explains that being the “middle child” of the three USF campuses can often lead to the struggle of establishing a unique brand.
“I genuinely see us as the crown jewel of the three institutions. We shouldn’t be a secret, it shouldn’t be a surprise to people with how much we do in research and our grad programs,” Hardigree said.
“If everybody knew how awesome this place was, everybody would want to be here.”
Hardigree attributes a successful beginning of her time at USF St. Petersburg to the Bulls community and looks forward to building upon the relationships she’s already established.
“I’m enormously grateful for the kindness and generosity of the entire community and I look forward to continuing to serve our community, students, faculty and staff,” Hardigree said.
